LaGrange placed seven players on the D3baseball.com All-South Region as announced by the website Tuesday. All seven selected were seniors who led the Panthers to a 40-6 record this season. In addition, head coach David Kelton was named the South Region Coach of the Year.
Casey Bell was a first team selection as the designated hitter. Bell was the USA South Player of the Year and a first team All-Conference selection. He batted .374 with three home runs and 49 RBIs. Bell led the team with 22 doubles.
Blake Butcher, Blane Swift, and Ryan Broaderick were on the second team.
Butcher, a third baseman, was a first team USA South All-Conference selection for the second straight season. He batted .342 and led the team with seven home runs and 50 RBIs. Butcher became the first Panther since 2010 to have 50 RBIs in a season.
Swift, an outfielder, was a first team USA South All-Conference selection. He was second on the team with a .375 batting average. Swift had five home runs and 31 RBIs. He tied for the team lead with six triples.
Broaderick was the USA South Pitcher of the Year and All-Conference first team selection for the second straight year. He finished with a 9-0 record and a 1.93 ERA. In two seasons with the Panthers, he posted a 17-2 record with a 1.80 ERA.
Tavin Thompson, Andrew Weekley, and Jonathan Fleckenstein were named to the third team.
Thompson, a shortstop, was on the USA South All-Conference first team. He led the team with a .375 batting average and scored 58 runs. Thompson had two home runs and 32 RBIs.
Weekley was a second team USA South All-Conference selection. He was 10-1 with a 2.45 ERA this season. Weekley became the first Panther pitcher since 2003 to have 10 wins in a season.
Fleckenstein was on the USA South All-Conference first team as a relief pitcher. He was 6-1 this season with five saves and a 1.75 ERA. Fleckenstein struck out 49 in 46-1/3 innings.
Kelton completed his fourth season as head coach. He guided the Panthers to the USA South regular season and tournament championships, along with their first NCAA national tournament appearance since 2010. The Panthers are 70-19 in the last two seasons.
